Thorns
by Songwriting Authoress
Summary: There are some things you can't even explain to the person you care about most. Horrible things, some things better left unsaid. Yuki knew that better than anyone. Yuki/Kyo. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

All characters are property of Natsuki Takaya, creator of Fruits Basket.

The room seemed small to Kyo, but perhaps that was just because Yuki's presence seemed to fill every corner. They stood across from each other, trying to figure out what the other person was thinking.

They'd had confrontations before; of course they had. Just not recently. But there was no doubt in Kyo's mind that this one was completely different. An undercurrent flowed that spoke of far deeper pain than had ever been present earlier. It unnerved him, distracted him long enough for Yuki to take three steps forward and smash his fist into the side of Kyo's face.

He landed on his back a few feet away with an _oomph_ that knocked all the breath out of him, but he managed to skid and right himself to the balls of his feet. His left cheek stung painfully. He could feel blood welling up through his split lower lip, but he didn't move. He didn't want to at the moment. While he crouched low to the ground, panting, he took a moment to grudgingly admire the strength packed into the damn rat's slight frame.

"What is the matter with you?" Yuki demanded. Every word seemed to snap with tension. "Why are you acting this way?"

Kyo's face hardened. _I could ask you the same thing._

He got to his feet unsteadily, not meeting Yuki's eyes, not caring about the pain. "Just tell me… one thing…" His voice shook with the effort of keeping his anger in check. "Why the hell… are you leaving?"

Yuki didn't reply. He merely gazed, completely uncaring, out the window.

"Answer me, damn it!" Kyo snarled. He couldn't help it; his temper got the best of him. He glared at Yuki.

Yuki finally turned to Kyo, his voice filled with contempt. "Stop acting like a child," he said scornfully. "Get over yourself. Be a man!"

Kyo laughed, even though he did not feel like laughing. "Be a man…What the hell would you know about being a man?" he said, slowly wiping away the blood on his mouth with the back of his hand. He paused before saying his next words. "…_Princess_ Yuki."

Yuki's face flushed. "Need I remind you, _idiot_ cat," he spat, "that _you_ were the one that liked me first?"

Before Kyo could either reply or pummel Yuki to the ground, the light flickered on above them. Shigure had stopped at the light switch for a moment, his face ashy and pale. He glanced at the two of them, a dead look in his eyes, before walking down the hallway again without a word.

Kyo frowned, the anger draining away. "What's up with him?" he muttered.

Yuki snorted, and then a flash of realization seemed to light his gaze. "Of course," he said softly. "Of course you wouldn't know. Besides the fact that it just happened, you are the cat, after all… who would tell _you_?"

"What? What wouldn't I know? What just happened?" Kyo snapped. He was too worried to be annoyed. Yuki's face reminded him of Shigure's a moment earlier, but worse. His face was blank, as if he had put on a mask. The only thing that gave him away was the slight trembling of his hands.

"Akito-sama…" he said calmly, staring at Kyo with unreadable eyes. "…Akito-sama is dead."

His reaction came slowly at first. Kyo repeated the words over and over in his head, but he could not make sense of it, however much he tried. _Dead… he is dead… Akito-sama is…_

"Dead!" he choked, and the shock crashed over him like a train wreck. He held his face in his hands and gasped. A small part of him felt relieved, felt… grateful, almost. But the small part was quickly suppressed by the overcoming, mind-numbing horror of it all.

_Why aren't you happy? _A voice screamed at him, questioning his sanity. _He wanted to kill you! He hated you, just because you were the Cat!_

Like before, a louder voice drowned out the previous one with its implications. _How could Akito… how could God… die?? Impossible!_

He didn't realize that he was saying the words out loud until Yuki answered him. Kyo lowered his hands.

Yuki was shaking his head. "Akito-san didn't just die," he said quietly. "He was murdered."

"Murdered?" Kyo blurted. "By… who?" He swallowed, suddenly scared of the answer.

It was one of the Juunishi, he was sure of it. The question was… who? His first thought as to who might have had the guts and motivation do it would be… well, himself. He snorted. _Yeah, right. _

Rin could do it, if she wasn't so scared. Or Haru, if he was angry enough. But if he had to guess, a wild guess, the one person who would be most likely to would be…

"No!" he gasped.

Yuki's mouth turned up at the corner, a crooked smile. A strange look was in his eyes.

"Me," he whispered. "I killed him. I killed Akito."

* * *

He hadn't intended to do it, not really. But perhaps that was just an excuse. Yuki had been trying to find a good one all day long. _Who really _intends_ to do these sorts of things?_ Yuki mused, staring at Kyo's wide eyes and slightly gaping mouth. He smirked, almost wanting to pull out a camera and take a picture of the perfect expression.

"Y-you?" Kyo stumbled over the words.

"Yes. Me," Yuki said slowly, hoping for the words to penetrate the cat's thick head so Yuki didn't have to repeat himself. Again. He didn't see why this was so hard for Kyo to believe. Everyone had the potential for murder in them, murder and suicide. Yuki had just chosen the former.

Kyo still didn't speak, seemingly unable to form words. Yuki bit his thumb, hard, hoping the slight pain would distract him from the odd restlessness he felt. He did not think it was restlessness, really… just some sort of disturbance in the calm pool of his mind. He wasn't usually this vindictive, he was certain of it. He snorted. Then again he usually didn't kill people, either.

As he waited for Kyo's reaction, Yuki's aggravation mounted. He didn't know why, and that aggravated him even more.

Maybe it was because of the look in Kyo's eyes, a sort of disgusted shock; just as if Yuki had declared that they were actually betrothed. Maybe it was the blood-stained clothes he knew were hidden in the dresser beside the bed, and that he couldn't stop glancing at. Maybe it was the way jagged memories of _that day_ kept popping up, most annoyingly, in his mind.

Yeah. That was probably it.

Kyo's face unfroze, and he found his tongue. "What the…" he said hollowly. "What the _hell _are you _talking_ about?"

Yuki sighed. "I _said_," he repeated dully, "that—"

"I heard what you said!" Kyo snapped. "I just can't believe it! Why? Why the hell would you kill him? _You_? The _rat_?" He laughed a sort of disbelieving, humorless laugh. "If anyone, it should be _me_!" His accusing eyes burned into Yuki's.

So the question had finally arrived.

_Why._

Probably tagging along right behind it was _how_. And close behind that was, _Are you out of your freakin' mind?_

Yuki took a deep breath. This was going to be difficult.

* * *

The idea had floated in his mind randomly one day. He didn't even bother to take it seriously, shoving it away. Laughing at himself and his crazy impulses, he locked it in a deep recess of his brain, and forgot about it.

But it was not to be suppressed.

Gradually it had wormed its way out, had taken root, and had wrapped around his mind completely with its spiky black thorns. And he didn't even realize it until it was too late.

It hurt him to consider of it, and yet it hurt him more to dismiss it completely.

As weeks passed, he began to think of it more and more often. Unconsciously, he made plans, thought of the best way to exit, to enter, assuring himself that as long as he didn't think of the actual _act_, he wouldn't do it. Of course he wouldn't.

Then things began to happen to the Juunishi, in quick succession. People got hurt. Badly. And not just the Juunishi, Tohru and Kyo as well. They were "accidents," they always were. But somehow they all managed to happen around one person.

Akito.

Yuki felt like he was slowly being suffocated, being shoved from all sides until he couldn't feel his own heartbeat. _Akito is God…_

_But if this goes on, he could end up killing all of the Juunishi… _

_No… remember the curse, the promise, the… bond…!_

What was he to do?

He couldn't sleep at night. The thorns in his mind pricked him awake and urged him to do something, anything. When he did sleep, his dreams were broken and interrupted. He couldn't tell the difference between his sleeping nightmares and his waking nightmares.

He was getting desperate. He tried to rationalize his idea, but nothing came. Any way he thought of it, it was always murder.

_Then again… if there's a weed in a vegetable garden, what do you do?_ he asked himself one sleepless night. The answer came to him in a flash of understanding.

You pluck it out by the roots.

He clung to that thought like a lifeline, and suddenly he felt like he could breathe again. He would soon be free. And that was all it took to make up his mind.

But how the hell was he going to explain that to Kyo?


	2. Chapter 2

That afternoon, when Kureno had come to visit, Haru didn't need him to explain what had happened. They had stood in front of each other for a solid minute before Kureno could bring himself to say the news Haru already knew.

"Akito…" Kureno began, tears pooling in his eyes. "Akito is…"

Haru nodded once, looking away. He didn't want Kureno to explain if it was so painful for him.

Kureno paused. "Wait… you knew? How did you know?" he asked suspiciously.

Haru stared steadily at the floor. "I could feel it," he said softly. "Couldn't you?"

Something seemed to darken in Kureno's eyes. He angrily wiped away a tear coursing down his cheek. "Yeah…"

Haru could tell that Kureno understood what he was talking about. Probably more so than Haru could comprehend, considering how close Kureno and Akito used to be. It was that horrible, hollow place in their souls where something eternally deep and, more than they liked to admit, undeniably precious used to reside. The bond. Now broken.

Kureno whirled around and grabbed the door handle, but stopped just before opening the door. "You'll tell Rin? Or shall I?" he asked, his back still to Haru.

"I will," Haru affirmed. He always would.

Kureno left without another word.

Haru immediately collapsed on his bed with an arm flung over his eyes, trying to push the guilt from his head. It wasn't like he didn't tell the truth. He just didn't answer Kureno's question. How he knew that Akito was dead. Leaning backwards, Haru grabbed a pillow and pressed it to his chest, where it hurt, and gazed up at the ceiling.

He watched it so long he didn't even notice when couldn't see it anymore. He wasn't sure if it was supposed to be so dark. On the other hand, he wasn't going to disturb it if it was. He was perfectly happy just lying there in the middle of the blackness with only his thoughts.

Or he would have been, if Rin had been there beside him. Rin. Haru clenched his fists at the thought, and began to worry. Rin always made him worry. She made him happier than anyone else alive, but also worried him to death.

But now he had a cause to worry ten times more than usual. He could at least be grateful that he had received the news before her. So he could catch her when she fell. And fall she would, when she heard. She was that fragile.

He groped for his phone lying on his bedside table, and pressed speed dial number four.

The person on the other end answered immediately. "Haru. Good. I need to talk to you."

"Did you talk to Kyo?" Haru asked. "Yuki?"

Yuki didn't speak for a moment. "Well… what do you expect to have happened?" he said, sounding strained. "Kyo will always be Kyo, after all… he just stalked out of the room."

"Hmm…" Haru agreed. So it hadn't gone well.

"He's been called to the main house. To find out what really happened, I think," Yuki said. "After Akito died, I would've thought—"

"No, Yuki," Haru cut in sharply. "Not died. Killed. I hope you understand the difference."

"More than anyone," Yuki replied coldly.

"Yuki, don't—" Haru began, before he realized that Yuki had hung up on him.

Haru sighed, and closed his phone. He would have to go to the main house now, to chase after that damn rat and that damn cat. He sighed again. He hated going to the main house.

"Excuse me, but is Kyo here?" Haru asked respectfully. The maid in the green kimono eyed Haru distrustfully from the smallest possible crack in the sliding door, but that was nothing new.

"Don't you realize what just happened?" she snapped. "That wretched cat… no, that monster! He should be executed! Murdered! Just like our poor, our… beloved…" She dissolved into tears, and turned to shut the sliding door. "Leave now. There is nothing for you here."

Haru frowned. What did Kyo have to do with Akito's death, anyway? Feeling very uneasy, he stopped the door from shutting completely and pushed his way through.

"What are you doing? This is unacceptable!" the maid cried. She rushed ahead of him to cut him off. "You are not allowed to be here now! Go!"

Ignoring her, Haru brushed past her and peered into the pitch black room. "Kyo?" he called.

"Hatsuharu, is it?"

Haru whirled around. Beside him, nearly blended in to the dark walls, was a tall, beautiful woman with long black hair brushing well past her knees. Akito's mother. Ren. A light came to life above them, and that was when Haru could see at her feet, curled up in a small ball, was Kyo.

"Kyo…" Haru whispered, horrified. Kyo did not react to his name.

Haru's heart dropped to somewhere between his ankles, and suddenly he was furious. Anger pulsed in every corner of his brain. He knew that look in Kyo's eyes, knew it so well it haunted his dreams sometimes. He had seen that look in Yuki's eyes. In Rin's eyes.

The look of utter hopelessness.

That was it. Haru snapped.

He flew at Ren, grabbing her neck with one hand, the other balled in a fist dangerously close to her face. The maids gasped.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Haru roared. "What did you do to Kyo?"

Ren did not attempt to pull away. Instead, she leaned down closer to Haru, and slowly eased his fingers off her neck.

"Me?" she murmured. "I did nothing at all. It was all this cat… Kyo."

Haru's eyes narrowed. "Don't fuck with me," he growled. He sharply pulled away from her.

"Ah, you don't know? Then let me inform you." Ren said. She straightened, and pointed one finger at Kyo. She declared, "Kyo Sohma has been found guilty of murdering the head of our house and our beloved God, Akito Sohma."

Haru gasped. "Kyo? Kyo has?" He staggered backwards, reeling.

Ren smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All characters are property of Natsuki Takaya, creator of Fruits Basket.

**[A/N: I'm really sorry about the late release! I promise it won't take so long next time. Please read and enjoy! ~Nix]**

**

* * *

**He was back again, to the place of his nightmares. The cat's prison.

It was a dark, square room, small and bleak and too familiar. Kyo crouched against a corner with his head buried in his knees, his thoughts tangling together until nothing made sense to him anymore. He wanted to cry. So desperately, he wanted to cry, to lean against the shoulder of the only one that had ever let him do so.

No, no, no. Sharply digging his fingernails into his arms, he jerked out of his thoughts. No use dwelling on impossible things. Yuki had made his feelings abundantly clear to Kyo when they had last met. The damn rat was so eager to leave him behind that he had made up some story about killing Akito.

Or so Kyo had thought. Until he was arrested the moment he walked into the main house.

He could have resisted. He knew that he could have managed to fight his way out of Ren's grip, if not for the look in her eyes. They were wide, eager. Waiting. She had been waiting for him to deny everything, to defend himself. She knew that Yuki was guilty and simply wanted to hear it from Kyo's own mouth.

And all because of that damn rat, Kyo admitted that he had, in fact, killed Akito. Ren, furious and exasperated, threw Kyo into the claustrophobic place where he was now sitting.

Kyo sighed and gripped his knees tighter with regret. By the time they got around to punishing him, Yuki would be long gone. At least he could trust in that.

Suddenly Kyo jumped as he heard a sharp thud and a clamor of loud voices right outside the sliding door of his room. One voice rose clearly above the rest.

"Move out of the way, Ren!" Yuki shouted.

_Yuki? Yuki is here? _Kyo froze, hardly daring to breathe. _Does he even realize what he's doing?_ he thought incredulously. He couldn't help the slight laugh of happiness that escaped him even though he knew that Yuki protecting him was the absolute worst possible thing for the both of them.

Yuki slammed the sliding door open. His eyes landed on Kyo, who was just getting to his feet. Their eyes met for an impossibly long second. Kyo broke the intense gaze and took a deep breath, brushing off his jeans. His heart jumped in his chest as he resisted the urge to smile. It was almost ridiculous how relieved he was to see the rat again.

"What on earth are you doing, you idiot?" Yuki snarled. He strode towards Kyo, face flushed. His eyes, which were usually calm pools of violet, seemed unnaturally frantic. "What's wrong with you? Are you crazy?"

Kyo paused. "Who the hell do you think I'm doing this for?" he said harshly, staring at his feet.

Yuki stopped. His mouth hung open slightly, at a loss for words.

"Why is it you are so eager to defend the murderer, Yuki?" Ren pushed herself into the room, her soft voice filling the silence.

Yuki flinched, startled. "I'm… I'm not…" he finally mumbled.

"Then just leave him be," she snapped. "He deserves everything that comes to him."

Yuki did not reply.

"Do you deny it?" Ren asked.

Yuki's eyes narrowed at the floor, looking so uncomfortable and intimidated that Kyo couldn't stand it anymore. He jerked Yuki behind him and glared at Ren.

"Leave him alone," Kyo hissed. "It's me you have a problem with, leave him out of it!"

Ren blinked, looking almost amused. She stared past Kyo and raised an eyebrow.

"What now, Yuki?" she murmured.

Yuki shoved Kyo to the side, sending him stumbling to right himself.

"No, Kyo, you stay out of it!" Yuki snapped, fists clenching. He grew louder with every word, his usually level voice turning rough and raw. "You don't know the truth—any of you! You believe in what you hear, what you are told, but who actually knows the real story, huh?" He threw his hands in the air, his face contorting with anger. "What do you all know, anyway? What the hell do you know about who actually killed Akito?"

Ren scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Enough, Yuki, I'm tired of playing games. Everyone here knows who actually killed Akito." There was a note of finality in her tone. "It was you. There is undeniable proof."

The side of Yuki's mouth twisted just a little bit, a ghost of a smile. "She said it would never come to this…" he said quietly. He seemed to be talking to himself more than anyone else. He turned and looked at Kyo.

"Yuki… who are you talking about? What's going on?" Kyo replied. He didn't understand Yuki anymore, and that scared him. _What's wrong, Yuki? _Kyo thought, agonized. _What can't you tell me?_

"But now… there is something more at stake," Yuki continued mumbling, not appearing to hear Kyo's words. He tilted his head to the side. "Something more… important."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All characters are property of Natsuki Takaya, creator of Fruits Basket.

**[A/N: Yeah, I know. This is really, really late, and not even that long to make up for it. School suddenly got really busy, I had to rework some issues in the plot, etc, etc... yeah. I deserve whatever beating you (my nonexistent fans) choose to give me. Sorry!!! Give me a review and the next chapter _might_ come out earlier, lol, but I'm not making any promises. Anyway, please enjoy chapter four! ~Nix]**

* * *

"Something more… important."

The betrayal stabbed Yuki in the gut. He let his face grow blank, pretending he was too lost in thought to realize what he was saying. Not so. He was painfully aware of everything, from Ren's smirk of victory to Kyo's bewildered and much too innocent eyes.

He let the words hang in the air, sneaking a look at Ren out of the corner of his eye. Her face was cold. Yuki shivered. Ren was not someone easily messed with. Across from him, she narrowed her eyes and shook her head very slightly from side to side, a subtle warning.

_Not another word, _she seemed to say.

Kyo did not notice, grabbing hold of Yuki's hand.

"Come on," Kyo said firmly, pulling the rat to the door. "I don't give a damn what you still have to do here, we're going."

Yuki didn't spare a glimpse at Ren as he let himself be dragged out the door. He didn't need to check to know that she was beyond furious. He would have to be punished now, but his goal having been achieved, he didn't care anymore. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't intervened when he had. Not to him, but for his someone more important.

They stalked out the doors of the main house, turning down the tree-lined path to the sidewalk. Every so often, Kyo would pause and glance back at Yuki, as if reassuring himself that the rat was still there. Then he would nod, turn back around, and continue walking. Yuki smiled softly. _This right here,_ he thought. He felt the warmth of Kyo's hand, his only anchor. _This is all I need._

_

* * *

_

It was before everything had happened. Back when Yuki was simply Yuki Sohma, a student and a Juunishi, nothing more. As normal as he ever was. Even then, he would wake up at night at the most ridiculous of times, unable to fall back asleep again.

He had a window close to his bed. Giving up on sleep, he curled up against the wall and stared at the lamp across the street. It was the only place the rain was visible, falling in sheets to the pavement. He scooted closer to the window and pressed his forehead to the cool glass.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of light footsteps. Someone opened his door.

"Yuki? You're awake?"

Yuki squinted into the dark. "Ren," he said. His heart sunk a little. _How on earth did she even get in here?_

"Could I… could I talk to you?"

She was hesitant for some reason, wringing her hands in his doorway. It was unnatural. Yuki did not reply, deeply mistrustful.

Ren took that as acceptance and sat on the very edge of his bed, her hands clenched in fists. She stared at him for a moment before laughing awkwardly. Yuki stiffened.

"Well, this is odd!" she said. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here, aren't you, Yuki?"

"I am," Yuki said coldly, wishing she would leave. He turned his head and looked out the window again. The rain was falling harder now, in rapid bursts and sprays.

"I need you to do something for me," Ren said, her voice soft and polite. "A favor, if you will."

Yuki paused. "What…" he began, but all of a sudden he knew what Ren was asking. It did not surprise him, almost as if he was expecting it. The thorns in his mind shifted, prickling and sharp against his brain.

"What's in it for me?" he asked, his heart pounding painfully in his chest.

There was no turning back now. Thoughts flashed wildly through his head. He kept outwardly calm, but Ren seemed to understand anyway.

She smiled. She had him now.

"Everything," she whispered.


End file.
